Formation of fully silicided (FUSI) gate using a dual silicide process

ABSTRACT

A method for forming a semiconductor device structure, comprising the steps of independently forming source/drain surface metal silicide layers and a fully silicided metal gate in a polysilicon gate stack. Specifically, one or more sets of spacer structures are provided along sidewalls of the polysilicon gate stack after formation of the source/drain surface metal silicide layers and before formation of the silicided metal gate, in order to prevent formation of additional metal silicide structures in the source/drain regions during the gate salicidation process. The resulting semiconductor device structure includes a fully silicide metal gate that either comprises a different metal silicide material from that in the source/drain surface metal silicide layers, or has a thickness that is larger than that of the source/drain surface metal silicide layers. The source/drain regions of the semiconductor device structure are devoid of other metal silicide structures besides the surface metal silicide layers.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to co-pending and co-assigned U.S.application Ser. No. 10/885,462, filed Jul. 6, 2004 and U.S. applicationSer. No. 10/890,753, filed Jul. 14, 2004, the entire contents of whichare both incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method offabricating the same, and more particularly to a metal oxidesemiconductor (MOS) device that includes an advanced gate structure,e.g., fully silicided metal gate, as well as a method of fabricating thefully silicided metal gate device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Throughout the prior art, metal gate integration has proven difficult toachieve in a conventional process flow for MOS transistors. Most metalgate materials interact with the gate dielectric during the hightemperature processing needed for source/drain (S/D) junction activationanneals. The need to keep the metal gate stack from receiving hightemperature anneals has lead to the development of the “gate last” or“replacement gate” process for which the gate stack is fabricated lastand remains below 500° C. during subsequent processing. Although theprior art replacement gate process increases the number of materialchoices for a metal gate, the process complexity and cost increases.

It is known in the prior art to form self-aligned silicided metal gatesby reacting polycrystalline silicon with a metal. For example, the priorart process begins with providing a precursor structure that includes asemiconductor substrate having one or more patterned gate regionsseparated from each other by one or more isolation regions, each gateregion containing at least a gate dielectric and a polysilicon gateconductor. Dielectric cap and spacer structures can be respectivelyformed on top of and along sidewalls of each gate region as well.Subsequently, source/drain implants are performed to form source anddrain regions, during which the polysilicon gate conductor is protectedby the dielectric cap and spacer. Next, the dielectric cap isnon-selectively removed from the top of each gate region, and then asilicide metal, such as Ni or Co, is deposited on the entire structure.An optional oxygen diffusion barrier layer can be formed atop thesilicide metal, and then annealing is performed to cause reactionbetween the polysilicon and the silicide metal in both the gate regionand the source and drain regions. Depending on the metal, a lowresistivity metal silicide can be formed by utilizing a single annealingstep. After the single anneal, any unreacted metal and the optionaloxygen diffusion barrier is removed, and if needed, a second annealingstep may be performed to form a low resistivity metal silicide. In sucha manner, the salicidation process described above simultaneously formsa fully silicided metal gate and metal silicide surface layers in thesource/drain regions.

This prior art process does not allow independent salicidation of thegate region and the source/drain regions, and it can only form metalsilicide gates and source/drain surface metal silicide layers ofapproximately the same thickness, i.e., about 100 nm. However, the gateregion and the source/drain regions typically have significantlydifferent silicide requirements. Specifically, the source/drain surfacemetal silicide layers should be relatively thin (e.g., about 20 nm) toprevent source/drain punchthrough, while the metal silicide gate istypically much thicker.

Therefore, the thick source/drain surface metal silicide layers formedby the above described prior art process can be problematic for a fewreasons. First, the silicide can extend underneath the gate region,thereby shorting the device. Secondly, the thick source/drain metalsilicide can also be problematic given the recess of the isolationregions of the device caused by the non-selective removal of thedielectric cap from the gate region. Specifically, the silicide in theprior art process can short across devices separated by narrow isolationregions. Thirdly, the thick silicide may consume the silicon in theextension regions under the spacers leading to poor device performance.

Hence, there is a continuing need for improved methods that produce athick and fully silicided metal gate and a much thinner source/drainsilicide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for forming asemiconductor device structure having a fully silicide metal gate,comprising:

-   -   providing a precursor structure that comprises at least one        patterned gate stack with an overlaying dielectric mask and a        first set of sidewall spacer structures, and abutting source and        drain regions with surface metal silicide layers, wherein at        least one patterned gate stack comprises a polysilicon gate        conductor on a gate dielectric layer;    -   forming one or more additional sets of spacer structures        alongside of the first set of sidewall spacer structures;    -   removing the overlaying dielectric mask to expose the        polysilicon gate conductor; and    -   converting the polysilicon gate conductor into a fully silicided        metal gate.

The method of the present invention provides independent fabrication ofthe source/drain surface metal silicide layers and the fully silicidedmetal gate and thereby allows the source/drain surface metal silicidelayers and the fully silicided metal gate to contain different metalsilicide materials and/or have different thickness, depending on therequirements of specific applications. More importantly, the one or moreadditional sets of spacer structures, which are provided after formationof the source/drain surface metal silicide layers and before formationof the fully silicided metal gate, effectively prevent formation ofadditional, undesirable metal silicide structures (e.g., metal silicide“spikes” under the first set of sidewall spacer structures) in thesource and drain regions during the gate salicidation process.

Preferably, the present invention provides a semiconductor devicestructure that comprises a fully silicided metal gate of a firstthickness and abutting silicided source and drain regions with surfacemetal silicide layers of a second thickness, wherein the secondthickness is less than the first thickness. More preferably, the firstthickness is greater than 500 Å, and the second thickness is less than500 Å or 300 Å.

In accordance with the present invention, the fully silicided metal gateand the source/drain surface metal silicide layers can be composed ofthe same or different metal silicide material(s), such as silicides ofTi, Ta, W, Co, Ni, Pt, Pd, Re, Ru, Ge and alloys thereof. Of the varioussilicides, silicides of Co, Ni or Pt, in their lowest resistivty phase,are particularly preferred. In a highly preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the source/drain surface metal silicide layersinclude CoSi₂, while the silicided metal gate includes NiSi or NiPtSi.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for forminga semiconductor device structure having a fully silicide metal gate andabutting source and drain regions with surface metal silicide layers,comprising a first salicidation step for forming the surface metalsilicide layers in the source and drain regions, and a secondsalicidation step for converting a polysilicon gate conductor in apatterned gate stack into the fully silicide metal gate, wherein one ormore sets of spacer structures are formed along sidewalls of thepatterned gate stack after the first salicidation step and before thesecond salicidation step.

In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a semiconductordevice structure that comprises a fully silicided metal gate of a firstthickness and abutting source and drain regions with surface metalsilicide layers of a second thickness, wherein the second thickness isless than the first thickness, and wherein the abutting source and drainregions are devoid of other metal silicide structures besides thesurface metal silicide layers.

In still another aspect, the present invention relates to asemiconductor device structure comprising a fully silicided metal gateof a first silicide metal, and abutting source and drain regionscontaining surface metal silicide layers of a second, different silicidemetal, wherein the abutting source and drain regions are substantiallyfree of the first silicide metal.

Other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be morefully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1M illustrates the processing steps for fabricating a MOSdevice with independently formed silicided metal gate and source/drainsurface metal silicide layers, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention, while the source and drain regions are devoid ofother metal silicide structures besides the surface metal silicidelayers.

FIG. 2 shows an MOS device fabricated with metal silicide “spikes” inthe source and drain regions, in addition to the source/drain surfacemetal silicide layers.

FIGS. 3A-3G illustrates the processing steps for fabricating another MOSdevice with independently formed silicided metal gate and source/drainsurface metal silicide layers, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention, while the source and drain regions are devoid ofother metal silicide structures besides the surface metal silicidelayers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth,such as particular structures, components, materials, dimensions,processing steps and techniques, in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the invention. However, it will be appreciated by oneof ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced withoutthese specific details. In other instances, well-known structures orprocessing steps have not been described in detail in order to avoidobscuring the invention.

It will be understood that when an element as a layer, region orsubstrate is referred to as being “on” another element, it can bedirectly on the other element or intervening elements may also bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyon” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It willalso be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyconnected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are nointervening elements present.

The present invention provides a method for independently forming thesilicided metal gate and the surface metal silicide layers in theabutting source and drain regions, so as to achieve desired silicidethickness and/or composition in the gate region and the source/drainregions of the MOS device structure. This is especially important asdevice scaling forces gate dimensions to asymptotically approach thelower limit. Independent control of the gate and source/drainsalicidation processes is therefore critical in all advanced devicestructures.

The present invention, which provides a method for fabricating a MOSdevice structure that has a thick fully silicided gate and relativelythin surface metal silicide layers in abutting source and drain regions,as well as the resulting MOS device structure, will now be described ingreater detail by referring to FIGS. 1A-1M, which accompany the presentapplication. In the accompanying drawings, which are not drawn to scale,like and/or corresponding elements are referred to by like referencenumerals. It is noted that in the drawings only one MOS device region isshown atop a single semiconductor substrate. Although illustration ismade to such an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to theformation of any specific number of MOS devices on the surface of thesemiconductor structure.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1A, which shows a semiconductorsubstrate 12. The semiconductor substrate 12 may comprise anysemiconducting material including, but not limited to: Si, Ge, SiGe,SiC, SiGeC, Ga, GaAs, InAs, InP and all other III/V compoundsemiconductors. Semiconductor substrate 12 may also comprise an organicsemiconductor or a layered semiconductor such as Si/SiGe, asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) or a SiGe-on-insulator (SGOI). In someembodiments of the present invention, it is preferred that thesemiconductor substrate 12 be composed of a Si-containing semiconductormaterial, i.e., a semiconductor material that includes silicon. Thesemiconductor substrate 12 may be doped, undoped or contain doped andundoped regions therein.

The semiconductor substrate 12 may also include a first doped. (n- orp-) region, and a second doped (n- or p-) region (not shown). Forclarity, the doped regions are not specifically labeled in the drawingsof the present application. The first doped region and the second dopedregion may be the same, or they may have different conductivities and/ordoping concentrations. These doped regions are known as “wells”.

Preferably, at least one isolation region (not shown) is typicallyformed into the semiconductor substrate 12. The isolation region may bea trench isolation region or a field oxide isolation region. The trenchisolation region is formed utilizing a conventional trench isolationprocess well known to those skilled in the art. For example,lithography, etching and filling of the trench with a trench dielectricmay be used in forming the trench isolation region. Optionally, a linermay be formed in the trench prior to trench fill, a densification stepmay be performed after the trench fill and a planarization process mayfollow the trench fill as well. The field oxide may be formed utilizinga so-called local oxidation of silicon process. Note that the at leastone isolation region provides isolation between neighboring gate regions(not shown). The neighboring gate regions can have the same conductivity(i.e., both n- or p-type), or alternatively they can have differentconductivities (i.e., one n-type and the other p-type). Alternatively,butted junctions may be formed wherein the neighboring gate regions abutone another and are not separated by any isolation regions.

After forming at least one isolation region within the semiconductorsubstrate 12, a gate dielectric layer (not shown) is formed on theentire surface of the structure. The gate dielectric layer can be formedby a thermal growing process such as, for example, oxidation,nitridation or oxynitridation. Alternatively, the gate dielectric layercan be formed by a deposition process such as, for example, chemicalvapor deposition (CVD), plasma-assisted CVD, atomic layer deposition(ALD), evaporation, reactive sputtering, chemical solution depositionand other like deposition processes. The gate dielectric layer may alsobe formed utilizing any combination of the above processes.

The gate dielectric layer is comprised of an insulating materialincluding, but not limited to: an oxide, nitride, oxynitride and/orsilicate including metal silicates and nitrided metal silicates. In oneembodiment, it is preferred that the gate dielectric layer is comprisedof an oxide such as, for example, SiO₂, HfO₂, ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, La₂O₃,SrTiO₃, LaAlO₃, and mixtures thereof.

The physical thickness of the gate dielectric layer may vary, buttypically, the gate dielectric layer has a thickness from about 0.5 toabout 10 nm, with a thickness from about 0.5 to about 3 nm being moretypical.

After forming the gate dielectric layer, a blanket layer of polysilicon(i.e., poly Si) is formed on the gate dielectric layer, utilizing aknown deposition process such as, for example, physical vapordeposition, CVD or evaporation. The blanket layer of polysilicon may bedoped or undoped. If doped, an in-situ doping deposition process may beemployed in forming the same. Alternatively, a doped poly Si layer canbe formed by deposition, ion implantation and annealing. The doping ofthe poly Si layer will shift the workfunction of the silicided metalgate formed. Illustrative examples of dopant ions include As, P, B, Sb,Bi, In, Al, Ga, Ti or mixtures thereof. Preferable doses for the ionimplants are 1E14(=1×10¹⁴) to 1E16(=1×10¹⁶) atoms/cm² or more preferably1E15 to 5E15 atoms/cm². The thickness, i.e., height, of the polysiliconlayer deposited at this point of the present invention may varydepending on the deposition process employed. Typically, the polysiliconlayer has a vertical thickness from about 20 to about 180 nm, with athickness from about 40 to about 150 nm being more typical.

The gate dielectric layer and the polysilicon layer jointly form thepolysilicon gate stack layer 14, as shown in FIG. 1A. Such a polysilicongate stack layer 14 may comprise additional structure layers, e.g., caplayers and/or diffusion barrier layers, as commonly included in MOS gatestructures.

After formation of the polysilicon gate stack layer 14, a dielectrichard mask 16 is deposited over the polysilicon gate stack layer 14utilizing a deposition process such as, for example, physical vapordeposition or chemical vapor deposition. The dielectric hard mask 16 maybe an oxide, nitride, oxynitride or any combination thereof.

The polysilicon gate stack layer 14 and the dielectric hard mask 16 arethen patterned by lithography and etching so as to provide patternedgate stacks. The patterned gate stacks may have the same dimension,i.e., length, or they can have variable dimensions to improve deviceperformance. The lithography step includes applying a photoresist withor without an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer 18 to the uppersurface of the dielectric hard mask layer 16, exposing the photoresistand/or photoresist/ARC layer 18 to a desired pattern of radiation anddeveloping the exposed photoresist utilizing a conventional resistdeveloper. The resultant structure is shown in FIG. 1B. The pattern inthe photoresist and/or photoresist ARC layer 18 is then transferred tothe dielectric mask layer 16 and the polysilicon gate stack layer 14utilizing one or more dry etching steps, forming one or more patternedgate stacks 17 as shown in FIG. 1C. In some embodiments, the patternedphotoresist and/or photoresist/ARC layer 18 may be removed after thepattern has been transferred into the dielectric mask layer 16. In otherembodiments, the patterned photoresist and/or photoresist/ARC layer 18is removed after etching has been completed.

Suitable dry etching processes that can be used in the present inventionin forming the patterned gate stacks 17 include, but are not limited to:reactive ion etching (RIE), ion beam etching, plasma etching or laserablation.

A reoxidation process can optionally, but not necessarily, be performedto create a conformal silicon oxide sidewall layer 20, as shown in FIG.1D. Note that the layer 20 forms on the horizontal surface of substrate12 as well. Next, a conformal silicon nitride layer 22 is deposited overthe entire structure, as shown in FIG. 1E, which is then patterned toform a first set of sidewall spacers 22 along exposed sidewalls of thepatterned gate stack 17, as shown in FIG. 1F. Patterning of the layer 22is achieved by utilizing an etching process that selectively removesnitride. A second etching step can be performed to expose the surface ofthe substrate 12. Depending on the technology, the number of spacers mayvary. The spacers are designed to optimize the device performance, sodepending on the performance targets, complex spacer structures aretypically employed.

After formation of the first set of spacers 20 and 22, source and drainregions 26 and 28 are formed into the semiconductor substrate 12, byutilizing ion implantation 24 shown in FIG. 1G and a subsequentannealing step (not shown). The annealing step serves to activate thedopants that were implanted by the previous implant step. The conditionsfor the ion implantation 24 and the annealing step are well known tothose skilled in the art.

In FIGS. 1H and 1I, surface metal silicide layers 32 and 34 (i.e.,source and drain silicide contacts) are then formed in the source anddrain regions 26 and 28, by using a salicide process which includes thesteps of depositing a silicide metal layer 30 over the entire structureincluding the source/drain regions, optionally depositing an oxygendiffusion barrier material such as TiN (not shown) on the silicide metallayer 30, first annealing to form surface metal silicide layers 32 and34 in the source and drain regions, selective etching any non-reactedmetal 30 and, if needed, performing a second annealing step.

The silicide metal used in forming the source/drain surface metalsilicide layers 32 and 34 comprises any metal that is capable ofreacting with silicon to form a metal silicide. Examples of such metalsinclude, but are not limited to: Ti, Ta, W, Co, Ni, Pt, Pd, Ru, Re, Geand alloys thereof. In one embodiment, Co is a preferred metal. In suchan embodiment, the second annealing step is required. In anotherembodiment, Ni or Pt is preferred. In this embodiment, the secondannealing step is typically not performed.

The metal used in forming the source/drain surface metal silicide layers32 and 34 may be deposited using any conventional deposition processincluding, for example, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition,evaporation, chemical solution deposition, plating and the like.

The first anneal is typically performed at lower temperatures than thesecond annealing step. Typically, the first annealing step, which may,or may not, form a high resistance silicide phase material, is performedat a temperature from about 300° to about 600° C. using a continuousheating regime or various ramp and soak heating cycles. More preferably,the first annealing step is performed at a temperature from about 350°to about 550° C. The second annealing step is performed at a temperaturefrom about 600° C. to about 800° C. using a continuous heating regime orvarious ramp and soak heating cycles. More preferably, the secondannealing step is performed at a temperature from about 650° C. to about750° C. The second anneal typically converts the high resistancesilicide into a silicide phase of lower resistance.

The annealing steps are preferably carried out in a gas atmosphere,e.g., He, Ar, N₂ or forming gas. They may be carried out in differentatmospheres or in the same atmosphere. For example, He may be used inboth annealing steps, or He can be used in the first annealing step anda forming gas may be used in the second annealing step.

The surface metal silicide layers 32 and 34 formed utilizing theabove-mentioned process preferably have a thickness (measuredvertically) of less than 500 Å, with a thickness from about 150 to about300 Å being more typical.

When the semiconductor substrate does not comprise silicon, a layer ofsilicon (not shown) can be grown atop the exposed surface of thesemiconductor substrate 12 and can be used in forming the source/drainsurface metal silicide layers 32 and 34.

Next, a second conformal silicon nitride layer 36 is deposited over theentire structure, as shown in FIG. 1J, which is then patterned to forman additional set of spacers 36 along sidewalls of the first set ofsidewall spacers 22 and to expose the dielectric hard mask 16, as shownin FIG. 1K.

This additional set of spacers 36 covers the interface between thesource/drain metal silicide layers 32 and 34 and unreacted silicon inthe source and drain regions 26 and 28 underneath the first set ofspacers 22, and they will effectively prevent future reaction of theunreacted silicon with other silicide metal during the gate salicidationprocess (to be subsequently conducted).

Next, and as shown in FIG. 1L, the dielectric hard mask 16 is removed,so that the underlying polysilicon gate conductor in the polysilicongate stack layer 14 is exposed. During the removal of the dielectrichard mask 16 from atop the polysilicon gate conductor, a surface portionof the isolation region (not shown) may also be removed so as to providean isolation region having a recessed surface.

The dielectric hard mask 16 is removed in the present invention byutilizing an etching process, wet or dry, which selectively removes thedielectric mask 16 from the structure. Although a dry etching processsuch as reactive-ion etching (RIE), ion beam etching (IBE), and plasmaetching can be employed, it is preferred that a wet etch process beemployed in selectively removing the dielectric hard mask 16 withoutremoving much of the surface metal silicide layers 32 and 34 in thesource/drain regions 26 and 28. An example of a wet etch process thatcan be used to selectively remove the dielectric hard mask 16 includesdilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF) mixed with at least one additive whichselectively adsorbs onto the source/drain surface metal silicide layers32 and 34, but not to the dielectric hard mask 16. This selectiveadsorption of the additives is achieved by exploiting the difference inthe electro-kinetic behavior of the source/drain surface metal silicidelayers 32 and 34 and the dielectric mask 16 in the DHF solution. As theadditives form a very thin adsorbed layer (˜2-5 nm) at the source/drainsurface metal silicide layers 32 and 34, that region would experience analmost negligible etch rate, whereas the dielectric hard mask 16 will beetched at rates similar to DHF only solutions. Also, instead of mixingthe additives to the DHF solution, the same effect may also be realizedby exposing the surfaces to aqueous or inaqueous solutions with theabove said additives and then etching in DHF solution. Examples ofadditive that can be employed during the selective etching processinclude, but are not limited to: any organic and inorganic compoundsthat would selectively adsorb onto the source/drain surface metalsilicide layers 32 and 34 and not the dielectric mask 16, in general,and all amphoteric molecules such as surfactants and polymers inspecific.

After etching the dielectric hard mask 16 from atop the poly Si gateconductor in the polysilicon gate stack layer 14, a second salicidationprocess (i.e., gate salicidation process) is then performed to consumethe poly Si conductor, thereby forming a fully silicided metal gate 40,as shown in FIG. 1M. The first step of the second salicide processincludes depositing a blanket gate silicide metal (not shown) atop thestructure shown in FIG. 1L. The gate silicide metal can be depositedusing one of the deposition processes mentioned above in depositing themetal used in formation of the source/drain surface metal silicidelayers 32 and 34. The gate silicide metal can be the same or differentthan the metal used in forming the source/drain surface metal silicidelayers 32 and 34.

The gate silicide metal can be composed of Ti, Hf, Ta, W, Co, Ni, Pt,Pd, Re, Ru, Ge or alloys thereof. In one embodiment, the gate silicidemetal comprises Co. The resulting gate metal silicide, i.e., CoSi₂, isformed using a two-step annealing process, the first of which forms CoSiof higher resistivity and the second of which forms CoSi₂ of lowerresistivity. In another embodiment of the present invention, the gatesilicide metal comprises Ni or Pt, and the resulting gate metalsilicide, i.e., NiSi or PtSi, can be formed using a single annealingstep.

Thickness of the gate silicide metal layer is selected so as to form thesilicide phase with the appropriate workfunction for the particular MOSdevice and to consume all of the silicon in the polySi gate conductor.For example, NiSi has a workfunction of 4.65 eV, and if the initialpolysilicon height is 50 nm, the amount of Ni needed is about 27 nm.CoSi₂ has a workfunction of 4.45 eV, and if the initial polysiliconheight is 50 nm, the amount of Co needed is about 14 nm. Although thethickness of the gate silicide metal layer given herein is the amountnecessary to just consume the polySi gate conductor, it is preferred ifthe thickness were in excess by about 10% to make sure consumption iscomplete.

In some embodiments (not shown), an oxygen diffusion barrier such as TiNor W can be formed atop the gate silicide metal layer.

After deposition of the gate silicide metal layer, a first annealingstep is employed to form a first silicide phase in the structure; thefirst silicide phase may or may not represent the lowest resistivityphase of a metal silicide. The first anneal is performed utilizing theambients and temperatures described above in forming the source/drainsurface metal silicide layers 32 and 34. Next, a selective wet etch stepis employed to remove any non-reactive gate silicide metal from thestructure.

For some metal silicides, the salicide process may be stopped at thispoint since the polysilicon is consumed and the resistivity of the firstsilicide phase is close to minimum values for the phase. This is in thecase for Ni and Pt. In other cases, for example when Co or Ti are usedas the silicide metal, a second higher temperature anneal (as describedabove) is needed for the consumption of the remaining polysilicon andforming a second silicide phase material. In this embodiment, the firstsilicide phase is a high resistivity phase silicide material, while thesecond silicide phase material is a lower resistivity phase silicidematerial.

The resulting semiconductor device structure therefore contains a fullysilicided metal gate 40 and source/drain surface metal silicide layers32 and 34, which are formed by two separate and independent salicidationprocessing steps and which can therefore have significantly differentthickness and/or composition.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fully silicided metalgate 40 can be significantly thicker than the corresponding source/drainsurface metal silicide layers 32 and 34. Typically, the source/drainsurface metal silicide layers 32 and 34 have a thickness that is lessthan 500 Å, while the fully silicided metal gate 40 has a thickness thatis greater than 500 Å. In a preferred embodiment, the source/drainsurface metal silicide layers 32 and 34 have a thickness that is lessthan 300 Å, while the fully silicided metal gate 40 has a thickness thatis greater than 500 Å. In yet another preferred embodiment, thesource/drain surface metal silicide layers 32 and 34 have a thicknessthat is less than 200 Å, while the fully silicided metal gate 40 has athickness that is greater than 500 Å.

In a preferred embodiment, the source/drain surface metal silicidelayers 32 and 34 comprise CoSi₂ and the fully silicided metal gates 40comprise NiSi or NiPtSi. The metal used in forming the source/drainsurface metal silicide layers 32 and 34 and the silicided metal gate 40may include an alloying additive that can enhance the formation of themetal silicide. Examples of alloying additives that can be employed inthe present invention include, but are not limited to: C, Al, Ti, V, Cr,Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, In, Sn, Hf, Ta, W,Re, Ir, Pt or mixtures thereof, with the proviso that the alloyingadditive is not the same as the material used in forming the silicide.When present, the alloying additive is present in an amount from about0.1 to about 50 atomic percent. The alloying additive may be introducedas a dopant material to the silicide metal layer or it can be a layerthat is formed atop the silicide metal layer prior to annealing.

Because the interface between the metal silicide 32 and unreactedsilicon in the source and drain regions underneath the first set ofspacers 22 is completely covered by the additional set of spacers 36,the gate silicide metal cannot react with unreacted silicon in thesource and drain regions underneath the first set of spacers 22 duringthe gate salicidation process. Therefore, undesirable additional metalsilicide structures cannot be formed in the source and drain regions 26and 28.

In contrast, if the additional set of spacers 36 was not provided, thegate silicide metal would react with silicon in the source and drainregions during the gate salicidation process to form undesirable metalsilicide “spikes” 42 in the source and drain regions 26 and 28, as shownin FIG. 2.

FIGS. 3A-3G shows an alternative method in which two additional sets ofspacers are provided after source/drain metal silicide formation andbefore the gate silicide formation, which further reduces the risk offorming deleterious metal silicide structures in the source and drainregions.

Specifically, FIG. 3A shows a partially completed semiconductorstructure similar to that shown in FIG. 1J. Specifically, suchsemiconductor structure comprises a semiconductor substrate 112 having apatterned polysilicon gate stack layer 114 with an overlaying dielectrichard mask 116 and abutting source/drain regions 126 and 128 with surfacemetal silicide layers 132 and 134. Sidewalls of the patternedpolysilicon gate stack layer 114 are protected by a silicon oxidesidewall layer 120 and a first set of sidewall spacer structures 122. Aconformal silicon nitride layer 136 is deposited over the entirestructure, as shown in FIG. 3A, for subsequent formation of additionalsidewall spacer structures.

A masking layer 138 is deposited atop the silicon nitride layer 136, asshown in FIG. 3B, which is then patterned to form a first additional setof spacers 138, as shown in FIG. 3C. Examples of the masking layer 138include, but are not limited to: a photoresist or an anti-reflectioncoating layer. Such a masking layer 138 can be readily patterned byconventional techniques such as RIE to form spacers 138, which serve asmasks during formation of silicon nitride spacer structures 136 alongsidewalls of the first set of sidewall spacers 122, while the dielectrichard mask 116 is exposed, as shown in FIG. 3D. The silicon nitridespacer structures 136 so formed have a “Ω” shape with flanking sidesections.

After formation of the silicon nitride spacer structures 136, thespacers 138 formed by the masking layer can be removed by a conventionalstripping process, as shown in FIG. 3E.

Next, and as shown in FIG. 3F, the dielectric hard mask 116 is removed,so that the underlying polysilicon gate conductor in the polysilicongate stack layer 114 is exposed, and a subsequent gate salicidationprocess is carried out to convert the polysilicon gate conductor into afully silicide metal gate 140, as shown in FIG. 3G.

During the gate salicidation process, the “Ω”-shaped silicon nitridespacer structures 136 and the flanking side sections function to moreeffectively cover the interface between the source/drain surface metalsilicide layers 132 and 134 and unreacted silicon in the source anddrain regions 126 and 128 underneath the first set of spacers 122 and toprevent formation of undesirable additional metal silicide structures inthe source/drain regions 126 and 128.

After completion of the inventive metal silicide gate processingmentioned above, the conventional approach for building a multilayerinterconnect structure for transistor to transistor and transistor toexternal contacts can be employed.

It should be noted that although the above describes an initialstructure that does not include raised source/drain regions, the presentinvention also contemplates the presence of raised source/drain regionsin the initial structure. The raised source/drain regions are formedutilizing conventional techniques well known to those skilled in theart. Specifically, the raised source/drain regions are formed bydepositing any Si-containing layer, such as epi Si, amorphous Si, SiGe,and the like, atop the substrate 12 or 112 prior to implanting.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in formsand details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. It is therefore intended that the presentinvention not be limited to the exact forms and details described andillustrated, but fall within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for forming a semiconductor device structure having a fullysilicide metal gate, comprising: providing a precursor structure thatcomprises at least one patterned gate stack with an overlayingdielectric mask and a first set of sidewall spacer structures, andabutting source and drain regions with surface metal silicide layers,wherein said at least one patterned gate stack comprises a polysilicongate conductor on a gate dielectric layer; forming a first additionalset of spacer structures alongside of the first set of sidewall spacerstructures and forming a second additional set of spacer structuresalongside the first additional set of spacer structures, wherein aportion of said first and second additional sets of spacers is locateddirectly on said surface metal silicide layers to protect an interfacebetween the surface metal silicide layers and said source and drainregions; removing the overlaying dielectric mask to expose thepolysilicon gate conductor; and converting the polysilicon gateconductor into a fully silicided metal gate.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein said fully silicided metal gate is thicker than the surfacemetal silicide layers of the abutting source and drain regions.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the fully silicided metal gate has athickness that is greater than 500 Å, and wherein the surface metalsilicide layers of the abutting source and drain regions each have athickness that is less than 500 Å.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein thefully silicided metal gate has a thickness that is greater than 500 Å,and wherein the surface metal silicide layers of the abutting source anddrain regions each have a thickness that is less than 300 Å.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the fully silicided metal gate and thesurface metal silicide layers of the source and drain regions comprisethe same or different metal silicide material(s).
 6. The method of claim5, wherein the metal silicide material(s) are silicides of Ti, Ta, W,Co, Ni, Pt, Pd, Re, Ru, Ge or alloys thereof.
 7. The method of claim 5,wherein the metal silicide material(s) are silicides of Co, Ni, Pt, oralloys thereof.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface metalsilicide layers of the abutting source and drain regions comprise afirst metal silicide material, and wherein said fully silicided metalgate comprises a second, different metal silicide material.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the first metal silicide material comprisesCoSi₂, and wherein the second metal silicide material comprises NiSi orNiPtSi.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface metal silicidelayers of the source and drain regions are formed by utilizing a firstsalicidation process that comprises: forming a metal layer comprising atleast one metal that can react with silicon to form a metal silicide,first annealing to form the metal silicide in a first silicide phase,selectively etching non-reacted metal, and optionally performing asecond annealing to convert the metal silicide in the first silicidephase into a second silicide phase having lower resistivity than thefirst silicide phase.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the firstannealing is performed at an annealing temperature ranging from about300° C. to about 600° C.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein theoptional second annealing is performed at an annealing temperatureranging from about 600° C. to about 800° C.
 13. The method of claim 10,wherein the polysilicon gate conductor is converted into the fullysilicided metal gate by depositing over the polysilicon gate conductor ametal layer comprising at least one metal that can react with silicon toform a metal silicide, first annealing to form the metal silicide in afirst silicide phase, selectively etching non-reacted metal, andoptionally performing a second annealing to convert the metal silicidein the first silicide phase into a second silicide phase having lowerresistivity than the first silicide phase.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the first annealing is performed at an annealing temperatureranging from about 300° C. to about 600° C.
 15. The method of claim 13,wherein the optional second annealing is performed at an annealingtemperature ranging from about 600° C. to about 800° C.